Championing the revival of the Swan Valley? Showcasing delicious, vibrant, lo-fi wines from a heritage block in the region's Southeast? Yes and yes. It's all part and parcel of a fun project from four wine-loving pals from around Perth-way. Local Weirdos is a collective of the best kind. Wine-smarts galore from seasons of planning over bottles, vintages, picking fruit and stomping wines. The plots they're currently working with (Gino Valenti and family) are in-conversion to organise so makes everything ripe for experimentation - blending, maceration methods/times and fermentation techniques. There are three wines in their first release and all highlight the level of nous at work. As their names imply, all the wines strike a neat balance between playful and serious. Weirdos unite.
Big Valley Bombo (bombo is allegedly a local term for fresher, younger drinking wines) is a blend of skin-contact semillion and grenache (that sees a split between carbonic maceration and normal winemaking). This is the stuff made for carafes and tumblers and late night pizza joints.
Turbulent Juice is 100% skin-contact semillon. It's fermented naturally, sees no additions. A bloody brilliant orange wine here. Textural and serious. It definitely has that Ruggabellus, COS, and Radkion vibe going on. You catch the drift. What a ripper.
Last in the line up is Chateau da Swan. It's grenache and definitely nods to Georgia. Made in a 1,000 litre qvevri it's 100% au naturale. Fleshy, juicy but with that savoury herby edge. Tons of mojo and charm. Maybe drink chilled? Maybe room temp? Either way, it's good.
